Bloodstock 2018: The Thursday

Thursday August 9, 2018 and I'm off to Bloodstock with my stepson Teal and his friend Joe. The ride up their went very smooth, especially when you have Axl Rudi Pell and Ozzy providing the in flight entertainment. However, as I got closer to the festival ground, I began looking for the huge yellow sign that had been there for my past trips to Bloodstock, it wasn't there. I only noticed it when we got to the junction of the A38 and that meant I went too far. So, I turned around and fortunately, there were signs a plenty in the opposite direction. So we arrived at the festival.

Second hitch, actually two here: the first was when I grabbed the bag of canned foods, I could not find my little stove with heat tabs pack. The second was after we loaded all of our stuff onto our little wagon, we discovered it had a dodgy wheel. That made the walk to the main gate a bit more fraught. We did get there with little problem but then we had to wait two hours before we finally got up to the gate. This was because it was the largest Bloodstock crowd ever and searches were supposed to be more thorough. At least mine was because the security thoroughly searched my bag and then asked about cooking when I saw the cans. His logic was that I wasn't going to eat my food cold. I told him about the heat tabs and he let me through after that. Meanwhile, Teal and Joe, despite having most of the kit on the wagon was waved through without fuss. Figures I get the anal security guard.

Our adventure wasn't over, before we got to our chosen campsite, the second front wheel on the wagon fell off making it useless. Joe and I took some stuff and went to find a spot to pitch the tent while Teal guarded the rest. We found a spot, which I stayed with the stuff to stake my claim while Joe went back to get Teal and the rest of our stuff. When they got to me, it was decided the space I had chosen wasn't big enough for our tent, so I went on another scouting mission. It took three minutes for me to find a nice large spot and we collected all the stuff and set up camp.

Having been in the military, I can pitch a two-person tent with ease. A six person tent is a different story, especially with only three people. Fortunately, a kind lady named Emma lent a hand and we got the tent up in no time. She had been going to all the festivals since 2003 and was a dob hand at putting up tents. We thanked her with a couple of cans of cider. The irony is that we never saw her for the rest of the weekend so I can only conclude that Emma was an angel sent by the heavy metal gods in our time of need.

Once settled, I discovered that I had forgotten a load of stuff. Paper plates, plastic cutlery, a tin opener  and I did leave the little stove at home. That meant I had to buy that stuff and with festival prices, that was one expense I didn't need. Plus on top of that, we missed Fire Red Empress who played the Sophie Lancaster Stage early that evening. Still, even with the bad start, we were determined it wasn't going to spoil the weekend.

[caption id="attachment_4717" align="aligncenter" width="225"] A place to get your air mattresses inflated. I didn't have one.[/caption]

Camp having been set up, I went looking for the metal. I found it in the Sophie Lancaster Stage in the form of Bloodshot Dawn. For me, this was a great way to start things, a loud aggressive thrash metal band with a great rhythm section and a lead guitarist who could really shred. The lead singer had a voice suited for thrash although not quite suited to the band's more melodic parts in songs but there were very few of those. One song that really stood out was "The Quantum Apocalypse." They had me quickly forgetting about all the little hassles earlier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQKsxYHUtJU&list=RDEMVbbnVocdUuWADS5iQ4vvgQ&index=11

[caption id="attachment_4718" align="aligncenter" width="225"] My first shot of Bloodshot Dawn[/caption][caption id="attachment_4719" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Bloodshot Dawn under the lights[/caption]

Some would call this a contrast but following Bloodshot Dawn was the Russian folk-metal band, Arkona. They were very theatrical in their approach and lead singer Maria 'Masha Scream' Arkhipova has a voice that can do it all. Her voice carries very beautifully in the more folk parts but when the band thrashes out more, it is as good as any male thrash metal vocalist. Further proof, not that it's needed, that heavy metal sounds great in whatever language it's sung in. Saying that, Arkova had one more unique attraction in the form of Vladimir 'Volk' Reshetnikov who plays the flute and bagpipes. I've never seen anyone who could shred those instruments but he certainly can. They deserved their headlining slot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgXlUxDGFvU

[caption id="attachment_4720" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Maria under the lights[/caption][caption id="attachment_4721" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Arkova is there somewhere[/caption][caption id="attachment_4723" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Vlad on the flute[/caption]

Full of adrenaline from both Bloodshot Dawn and Arkova, I decided to head to the Lemmy Bar and have a lemmy. They only raised the price by £1 from two years ago but full marks to the bar staff. It was the best JD and coke I ever tasted. Upon my return to the campsite, I finally got to witness the Bloodstock sport of bin jousting. I couldn't see much because of the crowd but I got the general gist of it. Unfortunately, security stepped in and stopped it, bloody health and safety again. However, I did hear some Bloodstock veterans saying that bin jousting had become too serious with younger participants really wanting violence so maybe stopping it wasn't such a bad thing. I returned to the camp site ready for a brilliant weekend.

Next post: Friday

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Roll-Children-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1609763556/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1534274553&sr=1-1&keywords=rock+and+roll+children

Great Rock Albums of 1981: The Go Go's- Beauty and the Beat

There were many all girl bands that came and went before 1981. I'm even going to pay tribute to one of them in my between the years post once the tour of 1981 is over. Don't worry, that's still quite a long way away. However, there was something a little different about The Go Go's when I first heard them in 1981. They weren't  heavy rock but they were hard enough in a new wave sort of way that was popular around this time. There was another reason I got into them. I once stated that in the mid 80s, many male metalheads, myself included, listened to Bon Jovi on account of the sole fact that our girl friends did. While, I wasn't dating any particular lady at the time, I noted while at a party one evening that many of the ladies there were getting into them. It could be said that The Go Go's were the first band that both genders could listen to without any worry girls being branded a rock slut and boys being branded a p*ssy.

Back in this time, there were some prehistoric notions that women couldn't play instruments and that all female bands were there more to be looked at than listened to. I never thought that even before I heard this album. Still, this album shows that these girls are capable of playing although I will admit I liked looking at them too. True, the video to their first single "Our Lips Are Sealed" betrays this fact but even though it has been heralded as one of the greats of the 80s, there are some other good rock tunes here as well. Besides, I always preferred the other single, "We Got the Beat" anyway. If I had too much to drink and this song came on, I would start pogo dancing to it. However, the album doesn't end with that song either. For me, "Lust to Love" is a hidden gem of a rocker and after its slow start, "This Town" shapes up pretty well. "Fading Fast" is another decent one as it "How Much More" and "Tonite" isn't bad either. I thought the only track that didn't quite measure up to the others was "Skidmarks On My Heart," not that it was a bad song, I just couldn't get into it. As one good song doesn't make a great album, one song not up with the others, doesn't in any way detract from the rest of the album.

Track Listing:

1. Our Lips Are Sealed

2. How Much More

3. Tonite

4. Lust to Love

5. This Town

6. We Got The Beat

7. Fading Fast

8. Automatic

9. You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)

10. Skidmarks On My Heart

11. Can't Stop the World

[caption id="attachment_2299" align="aligncenter" width="278"] The Go Go's[/caption]

Belinda Carlisle- lead vocals

Charlotte Caffey- lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals

Jane Wiedlin- rhythm guitar, vocals

Kathy Valentine- bass, backing vocals

Gina Schock- drums, percussion

Back on the subject of musicianship, I have always thought that Charlotte Caffey doesn't get the respect she deserved then or now. I'm not saying she's a Clapton or a Van Halen etc but she does play well enough to be respected. Listen to the album and judge for yourself as this is definitely one album from an all girl band that should be taken seriously. Did they open the way for others? Well, we can answer that as we journey through history.
Next post: Another band that should be taken seriously.

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of 1981: Rolling Stones- Tattoo You

Once again, the more astute among you may or may not have noticed that through my tours of both 1978 and 1980, I didn't visit the two albums released by the Rolling Stones in those years. To many, this might sound very strange because the Rolling Stones have been one of the stalwarts of rock for over half a century now. Throughout the 1960s and 7os they put out a huge number of songs and albums that will continue to live on throughout rock history. There are even some songs that would sound great metalised. So why didn't I visit the 1978 "Some Girls" album and the 1980 "Emotional Rescue?" For me, the answer is quite simple. I thought both of those albums were too disco for my liking. The 1981 album "Tattoo You," in my humble opinion took them back to their roots. The album sounded like the Stones of old and they finally remembered what had made them so great.

"Tattoo You" is a two part album in a sense. The first six songs are all cool rockers, the first of which is the big single "Start Me Up." When I first heard that song on the radio, I was convinced that the Rolling Stones had come back. Normally, I get concerned when the single opens an album because that's usually the ploy of one hit wonders but I have to say, it works well for "Tattoo You." That song is a good one to wake you up on a Wednesday morning. (Note: War Pigs by Black Sabbath is reserved for Monday mornings.) If you think that you can take a breath after "Start Me Up," you can't because "Hang Fire," the second track has the same effect. The next four songs all have the same effect and I love the hard blues rock sound of "Black Limousine." I don't know if it's Ronnie Wood or Keith Richards who play the solo on that song, but it is well done.

The remainder of the album goes into a more bluesier sound although not as hard as "Black Limousine." "Worried About You," "Tops" and "Heaven" are all in this vein  as is "No Use In Crying." These songs wind the album down to the more mellow closer "Waiting on a Friend" which seems to close the album out very well. I remember hearing that song blasting out of cafe juke boxes when I was in Toulon, France in May of 1982. What the album does accomplish for me is the fact that it's a massive improvement from the previous two.

Track Listing:

1. Start Me Up

2. Hang Fire

3. Slave

4. Little T & A

5. Black Limousine

6. Neighbours

7. Worried About You

8. Tops

9. Heaven

10. No Use in Crying

11. Waiting On a Friend

[caption id="attachment_2295" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Rolling Stones[/caption]

Mick Jagger- vocals

Keith Richards- guitar

Ronnie Wood- guitars

Bill Wyman- bass, synthesiser on "Heaven"

Charlie Watts- drums

After doing a little historical research, I was surprised to discover that the bulk of this album was out takes and previously unreleased material. Whatever the case, it worked and re-established the Rolling Stones as a serious force in rock.
Next post: The Go-Go's- Beauty and the Beat

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of 1981: Frank Zappa- You Are What You Is

It was little secret that Frank Zappa was capable of putting out several albums in a year. Earlier in 1981, he had put out "Tinseltown Rebellion" and then a series of albums called "Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar." Then later in the year he put out this album "You Are What You Is," which is probably his best known album for this year. Like with many of Zappa's albums, the songs are all bound together but not in the way like "Joe's Garage" as there is no visible story line in the songs.

As expected with any great Zappa album, there is that perfect blend of humour and fantastic musicianship. The album begins with "Teenage Wind" which is a parody about teenage hang ups and right on the heels of that is "Harder Than Your Husband." This song, with it's country music sound is definitely a good hoot. The first song that real portrays the quality musicianship of Frank and his band is "Doreen." While stalwart Ray White proves his underrated vocal ability Zappa backs him up with some great guitar work. I've always thought that his guitar talents have gone unnoticed. But it's not just Frank smoking the fingerboard on this album. Accompanying him is some guitar player known as Steve Vai. You might have heard of him.

The title track was also the first video he ever made and like sometimes with his music, it landed him in some trouble. I guess the portrayal of then president Ronald Regan as the president from hell might have had something to do with it. I just wonder why some people are so devoid of a sense of humour. Following the track "Mudd Club" are two tracks that I really like. "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing" and "Dumb All Over" are both mega swipes at religion and both songs are done with that tongue in cheek Zappa sense of humour. The remainder of the album continues with funny songs until the closer "Drafted Again" which is remake of a song from the early days "I Don't Want to Get Drafted."

Track Listing:

1. Teenage Wind

2. Harder Than Your Husband

3. Doreen

4. Goblin Girl

5. Theme From the 3rd Movement of Sinister Footwear

6. Society Pages

7. I'm a Beautiful Guy

8. Beauty Knows No Pair

9. Charlie's Enormous Mouth

10. Any Downers

11. Conehead

12. You Are What You Is

13. Mudd Club

14. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing

15. Dumb All Over

16. Heavenly Bank Account

17. Suicide Chump

18. Jumbo Go Away

19. If Only She Woulda

20. Drafted Again

[caption id="attachment_915" align="aligncenter" width="128"] Frank Zappa[/caption]

Frank Zappa- vocals, guitar, composer

Arthur Barrow- bass

Jimmy Carl Black- vocals

Bobby Harris- trumpet

David Longeman- drums

Ed Mann- -percussion

Tommy Mars- keyboards, vocals

David Ocker- clarinet

Mark Pinske- vocals

Motorhead Sherwood- tenor sax, vocals

Craig Twister Stewart- harmonica

Steve Vai- guitars

Ray White- rhythm guitar, vocals

Ike Willis- rhythm guitar, vocals

Ahmet Zappa- vocals

Dweezil Zappa- vocals

Moon Zappa- vocals

With so many albums under his belt, it was very hard to keep track of everything Frank Zappa produced. Fortunately, for me, "You Are What You Is" wasn't one of them. This is a very good Zappa album in the tradition of Frank Zappa. Definitely his best in 1981.

Next post: Rolling Stones- Tattoo You

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of 1981: Pat Benatar- Precious Time

Kings and queens of rock music have come and gone throughout the years but it can be safely said that in 1980 and 81, Pat Benatar was the undisputed queen of rock. She ascended to the throne in 1980 on the wings of her second album "Crimes of Passion" after the previous rock queen, Debbie Harry, in my view, abdicated. The more astute among you probably realise that I never visited Blondie's "Auto-American" album and for good reason. While "Crimes of Passion" ascended Pat Benatar to her rightful throne, her third album in 1981, "Precious Time," kept her firmly seated there.

"Precious Time" continues on in the same hard rocking theme that made Pat Benatar a household name in rock circles. I admit, when I first heard the introduction to the opener, "Promises in the Dark," I thought she might be going a bit softer but about thirty seconds in, the guitars take over and that Benatar sound is back in full swing. The second track is the big single, "Fire and Ice" and contains what I think is the best ever guitar solo from Neil Giraldo. "Just Like Me" and the title track are both traditional Pat Benatar rockers and the track "It's a Tuff Life" goes quite reggae but nonetheless is a great track. In all of these tracks and the following, "Take It Anyway You Want It," the vocals of Pat Benatar combined with the guitar of Neil Giraldo definitely work well like they did with the two albums.

Now, if they were ever to make a film from either of my books, "Rock And Roll Children" would be filled with some great concert footage, but with my latest one, "He Was Weird," I would insist that one song from this album, "Evil Genius," be on the soundtrack. While the lyrics of this song don't exactly fit in with the main character in the story, the song itself would greatly add to the ambiance of the movie. The lyrics are spot on here and that helps make the song even better for me. I can't leave out the fact that this album proves that The Beatles wrote a song that had an impact on hard rock and heavy metal. This album provided me with my first opportunity to hear the classic "Helter Skelter" covered by a great hard rock act. Here, Pat Benatar, to quote Cheryl Cole, makes the song her own and no I don't watch "X-Factor."

Track Listing:

1. Promises in the Dark

2. Fire and Ice

3. Just Like Me

4. Precious Time

5. It's a Tuff Life

6. Take It Anyway You Want It

7. Evil Genius

8. Hard to Believe

9. Helter Skelter

[caption id="attachment_1396" align="aligncenter" width="195"] Pat Benatar[/caption]

Pat Benatar- vocals

Neil Giraldo- lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals

Scott St Clair Sheets- rhythm guitar

Roger Capps- bass

Myron Grombacher- drums

With "Precious Time," it is easy to see why Pat Benatar was the undisputed queen of rock in 1980 and 81. Come the following year, there would be a serious challenge to her rule but that is best left for another time. In the world of hard rock, 1981 was without a doubt Pat Benatar's year and "Precious Time" backs this up.

Next album: Frank Zappa- You Are What You Is

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

To buy He Was Weird go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/He-Was-Weird-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1909740942/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403623312&sr=8-1&keywords=he+was+weird

Also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of 1981: Loverboy

Most likely, I am repeating myself again, I have a habit of doing that. But I, along with the rest of my battalion, spent the summer of 1981 on air alert. That meant we couldn't go very far and for three of those nine weeks, when my company was the alpha increment, we couldn't even leave base. Therefore, most of my free evenings that summer were spent at the Driftwood watching Twinkles and her co-workers strut their stuff to some great songs both from that year or before. There was one song that seemed to get played a lot, no matter which of those ladies was up on stage at the time. That song was "Turn Me Loose" by Canadian rockers Loverboy. This was one of those songs that rocked my summer and would have done so even if I didn't have the Driftwood's juke box reminding me how good it was.

"Turn Me Loose" is simply the song that spearheads a great rocker of an album. There are plenty of other cool songs on the album on it. The follow up single, "The Kid is Hot Tonite" testifies to this and the same can be said of "Teenage Overdose." I am very sure that if I named any track on the album, at least one person would put it forth as a great track. The keyboard introduction on DOA might, at first, make you think that this is going to be a more progressive track, and maybe it is compared to the rest of the album but the hard rock vibe doesn't disappear. It is little wonder why this  debut album from Loverboy was present in the tape collection of many people I knew back in 1981.

Track Listing:

1. The Kid Is Hot Tonite

2. Turn Me Loose

3. Always On My Mind

4. Lady of the 80s

5. Little Girl

6. Prissy Prissy

7. Teenage Overdose

8. DOA

9. It Don't Matter

[caption id="attachment_2282" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Loverboy[/caption]

Mike Reno- lead vocals

Paul Dean- guitar, backing vocals

Doug Johnson- keyboards, backing vocals

Scott Smith- bass, backing vocals

Matt Franette- drums

I don't know about the rest of the world, but for me, a marine in North Carolina at the time restricted to going no further than 15 miles from the base, the debut album from Loverboy brought a much needed way to let off steam to me and my comrades in arms. I was glad to have this rocking album then and those memories still resonate whenever I listen to any song from it.

Next post: Pat Benatar- Precious Time

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of 1981: Foreigner- 4

Foreigner's fourth album has sparked a lot of debate among hard rockers. It has been said that this was where they shifted from their harder rock sound to a more commercial soft sound. The catalyst for this debate was the fact that in 1981, Foreigner's ballad from "4" made it into the top ten. I remember my African American comrades in arms listening to this song along with their European American counterparts. "Waiting For a Girl Like You" was their biggest hit to date, even going to number one in several countries. In fact, that evening in April 1982, when I was in Israel, the song was the next one above "Centerfold" and if my mind is right on this, "Waiting For a Girl Like You" would have been number 4 in the Israeli pop charts.

So, it is fair to say that Foreigner sold out with this album? I have to say a sincere "NO!" on this one. The very first track, "Night Life" is a right hard rock awakener the way a good opening album track should be. Then there's my favourite track on the album, "Juke Box Hero." I love the fact that when Lou Gramm sings "that one guitar," a guitar power chord kicks in immediately after, nice. The other top forty track on the album "Urgent" is not an abandonment from their hard rock roots. The very first time I heard it, I admit I was a little put off by the sax solo until I remember that my favourite song off the "Double Vision" album has one. What truly confirms to me that this album is a true rocker is the last four songs on the album. All of them good rock tunes and I particularly love the intro on "Woman in Black." So no, the one ballad on this album doesn't detract from the hard rock sound that made Foreigner an icon in the late 70s.

Track Listing:

1. Night Life

2. Juke Box Hero

3. Break It Up

4. Waiting For a Girl Like You

5. Luanne

6. Urgent

7. I'm Gonna Win

8. Woman In Black

9. Girl On the Moon

10. Don't Let Go

[caption id="attachment_2277" align="aligncenter" width="140"] Foreigner[/caption]

Lou Gramm- lead vocals, percussion

Mick Jones- lead, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals

Rick Wills- bass, backing vocals

Dennis Elliot- drums, backing vocals

Additional Musicians

Mark Rivera- saxophone on "Urgent" (except solo)

Junior Walker- sax solo

I think that the problem Foreigner had with getting a ballad to number one in the pop charts manifested itself after this album. Like so many bands who achieved the same in the early 80s, they thought they had to keep making chart ballads from then on. I'll go more into that in due course but right now, let's enjoy a fine album from Foreigner. "4" is arguably their best album and it's easy to see why.

Next post: Loverboy

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishginggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London